Explosion relief wall



Feb. 27, 1968 R. c. PARKES ETAL EXPLOS ION RELIEF WALL Filed May 25, 1965 INVENTORS C- PARKES VZAW RY f ATTORNEY 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 RALPH WILUAM Feb. 27, 1968 R. c. PARKES ETAL 3,370,745

EXPLQS ION RELIEF WALL Filed May 25, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet IIIXXYJ L M- I 3 -2- INVENTORS RALPH C. PARKES H6 BYIWLUAM WNR 4 ATTORNEY Feb. 27, 1968 R. c. PARKES ETAL EXPLOSION RELIEF WALL 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 25, 1965 I l I Y m T. N W 7 8 C WY M E N F Q m RW T m A FIG. -6-

Feb. 27, 1968 R. c. PARKES ETAL EXPLOSION RELIEF WALL 6 Sheets-Sheet :5

Filed May 2 5, 1965 M llllq a ww n1 INVENTORS RALPH C. PARKES WILUAM BY 77HENRY ATTORNEY Feb. 27, 1968 R. c. PARKES ETAL 3,370,745

EXPLOS ION RELIEF WALL Filed May 25, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORS.

RALPH C. PARKES w| LLIAWNRY BY ATTORNE United States Patent 3,370,745 EXPLOSION RELIEF WALL Ralph C. Parkes, Rydal, and William J. Henry, King of Prussia, Pa., assignors to National Drying Machinery Co., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed May 25, 1965, Ser. No. 458,733 12 Claims. (Cl. 220-89) This invention relates to industrial enclosures which are used for drying, curing and the like.

In drying and other industrial processes, explosive gases may be used in, or may be produced by the drying or curing operation and, in many cases, the accumulation of gas reaches explosive proportions with serious hazards of personal injury and fire.

One object of this invention is to provide an improved explosion-relief construction wherein the walls of the enclosure are arranged to give, or blow out, in response to a pressure of predetermined values.

A further object is to provide an improved wall structure formed of individual sections which are hingedly interconnected and which in normal operation provide an air-tight enclosure.

A still further object is to produce a sectional, explosion-relieving structure, the wall sections of which are easily cleaned in situ.

A still further object is to produce an improved explosion-relief wall structure which, in yielding in response to an explosion, will not be damaged, and which can be reset for normal operation easily, quickly, without any special skill, and inexpensively.

A still further object of the invention is to produce an improved wall structure which is durable, and the components of which may be constructed according to standard practices.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a drying chamber embodying the invention, with the roof, or ceiling of the chamber omitted, and showing one manner of hinging the wall sections for movement outwardly in response to an explosion.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view looking in the direction of line 2-2 on FIG. 1, with the wall section retaining mechanism, in locked position.

FIG. 3 is a partial front elevational view looking in the direction of line 33 on FIG. 2 and showing the locking handle in locked position with hidden portions of the locking mechanism indicated in phantom lines.

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 2 but with the wall section retaining mechanism in unlocked position.

FIG. 5 is a partial front elevational view looking in the direction of line 55 on FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 2 and shows a wall section partly blown out due to an explosion.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view looking in the direction of line 7-7 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view looking in the direction of line 88 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 is similar to FIG. 1 but showing a slightly modified embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the door in partly open position.

Referring first to FIG. 9 of the drawings, the drying chamber A is defined by a plurality of fixed, insulated vertical panels 10 and a plurality of movable, vertical insulated doors 11 which are carried by a structural steel supporting frame 12. The frame also carries a ceiling and a floor, not shown, which co-act to form an air-tight enclosure. The doors 11 swing outwardly, from the normally closed position 13 to the open position 14, about the pintles 15 of vertically spaced hinges the fixed leaves 16 of which are aflixed to vertical structural frame members 18 and the movable hinge leaves 17 of which carry the door 11.

As seen in FIG. 9, each door 11 is provided a vertical, medially positioned, flange 22 extending beyond the free edge 19 which, when the door is closed, abuts the adjacent flange 23 of an outwardly facing, vertical, U-shaped, channel section 21 the bight portion 26 of which is welded or otherwise secured to the frame 12 along its bight portion. Similarly, a vertical flange 23 extends beyond the edge 25 of the adjacent panel 10 and abuts the edge of the opposite flange 24 of the channel section when the door is closed. A vertical U-shaped channel section 27 of the same width as fixed section 21 pivots about the door edge 19 through top and bottom links 28 which are secured by pins 29 to the top and the bottom of the door 11 and by pins 30 to the top and the bottom of the channel section 27. As illustrated, the channel sections 21, 27, cooperate to squeeze the respective flanges 22, 23, therebetween when the door is locked in closed position 13 to furnish a substantially air-tight vertical closure.

In FIG. 1 the fixed panels 10 are omitted and the enclosure A is defined, exclusively, by insulated doors 11, which are carried by brackets 7, fixed to the top and the bottom of each door and which pivot about pintles 8 of brackets 9 fixed to the supporting frame 12a.

The locking means shown in FIGS. 2 to 8 and now to be described, is common to the two embodiments.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 7, a plurality of vertically spaced, horizontal retaining pins 31 are shown carried by the right and left flanges 20, 24, of fixed channel 21, in engaging relation with the hooks 34 of the latches 35. Latches 35 pivot vertically relative to the retaining pins 31 about horizontal pivot pins 37 which are carried by the flanges 58 and 59 of movable channel 27. Each latch 35 terminates in a bifurcated connections 41 which carries a horizontal shaft 42 which is provided with a drilled and tapped central opening 43. The operating rods 36 threadedly engage the tapped openings 43 thereby providing ready vertical adjustment for the latches 35. The rods 36 on each door are inter-connected, by joint movement, by sleeves 38 which are adjusted by nuts 39 and held in adjusted position by nuts 40.

The lowest rod on each door terminates in a block 44 which is drilled horizontally to receive shear pin 45 which is engaged by the upper end of a clevis 46. By this arrangement, vertical movement of the clevis moves all of the corresponding rods. As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, an operating handle 47 passes through the light portion 48 of channel 27.

From FIGS. 4 and 5 it will be seen that, as the operating handle 47 is rotated to its horizontal, non-latching position 53, the eccentric 50 will move rods 36 upwardly. It will also be seen that upward movement of rods 36, rotates the connected latch 35, in clockwise direction about axis 49, or in clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2, to disengage the hook 34 of the latch from its retaining pin 31. The door is now free to open outwardly as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9. To lock a door, its handle 47 is rotated from its horizontal to its vertical position. This causes eccentric 50 to pull rods 36 downwardly and engages hook 34 with its pin. A stop 57 carried by channel 27 is adapted to be engaged by a lug 56 on the handle to limit rotation of the handle.

Should an explosion occur while all of the doors are closed, the force exerted on a door is translated into a tendency of latch 35 to disengage from pin 31. This tendency of the latch to rotate in clockwise direction exerts an upward pull on shear pin 45. If the explosion is of sufficient magnitude, pin 45 will break. This permits rods 36 to move upwardly, without any corresponding 3 rotation of handle 47. The upward movement of rods 36 permits latch 35 to disengage from its retaining .pin 31, and the door flies outwardly to its open position. This 'allows the expansion within the enclosure to be dissipated harmlessly.

What is claimed is:

1. In an explosion venting enclosure, the combination of a supporting frame including vertical support members,

a door movable from an open position to a closed position and said door being hingedly connected at one vertical edge thereof to one of the said members,

the unhinged edge of said door terminating in a vertical flange,

a first vertical U-shaped channel section secured to the said frame, the flanges of said channel section facing outwardly, and

one of said flanges receiving the said door flange,

'a vertical panel section secured to the said frame,

said panel terminating outwardlyin a vertical flange,

said panel flange being received by the second of said channel flanges,

a second U-shaped channel section hingedly connected to the said door at the flange edge thereof,

said second channel being vertically disposed with flanges facing inwardly,

said flanges being in alignment with said flanges of the first channel member; and

locking means pulling the said channel sections together whereby the respective opposed flanges squeeze the flanges of the door and panel therebetween to complete the said enclosure.

2. The invention of claim 1 and a plurality of vertically spaced horizontally disposed locking pins releasably engaging the said locking means.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein the said locking means include a tension responsive severable link.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein said locking means include handle operated adjusting rods, a plurality of pivoted latches operably mounted on the said rods and a tension responsive shear pin severably joining the said handle and the said operating rods.

5. The invention of claim 1 wherein said locking means include handle operated adjusting rods, a plurality of pivoted latches operably mounted on the said rods and a tension responsive shear pin severably joining the said handle and the said operating rods, and a plurality of horizontal locking pins vertically spaced within said first channel, said locking pins releasably engaging the said latches in response to handle operation.

6. The invention of claim 1 wherein said locking means are carried within said second channel section.

7. The invention of claim 1 wherein said locking means have pivoted movement both about the said door hinge and the said edge of the door.

8. In combination,

a frame defining an enclosure,

there being at least one opening in said frame connecting the interior of said enclosure with the outside atmosphere, a door for closing said opening,

means hinging said door, along one edge thereof, to

said frame,

an abutment carried by said frame and adapted to be engaged by the unhinged edge of the door when said door is in closed position, a fixed retainer carried by said abutment, a latch, a support therefor, means pivotally securing said support to the unhinged edge of the door for movement toward and away from said abutment independently of the door,

mounting means pivotally mounting said latchon said support for movement to a first position in which said latch engages said retainer and holds the door in the closed position and to a second position in which said latch is disengaged from said retainer to permit movement of the door to its non-closing position and actuating means for selectively moving said latch to either of its positions.

9. The combination defined in claim 8 in which there are at least two spaced, coplanar openings and wherein a fixed panel is carried by said frame and disposed between said openings.

10. The combination defined in claim 9 wherein the abutment is located between and is engaged by the unhinged edge of a door and by the juxtaposed edge of an.

adjacent panel.

11. The combination defined in claim 8 wherein said actuating means includes:

a handle pivoted to said support, a connecting rod secured at one end thereof to sai latch, and a shear pin connecting the other end of said rod to said handle, the shapes and the relation of said latch and said retainer being such that, when the handle is turned in one direction, the latch is brought into, and held in its retainer-engaging position and so that a predetermined pressure exerted against the inner face .of the door breaks said shear pin and disengages said latch from said retainer.

12. The combination defined in claim 11 wherein the retainer is a pin and in which the retainer-engaging end of the latch has a camming action relative to said pin whereby engagement of said latch with said pin draws the door tightly against the frame and whereby the breaking of the shear pin permits automatic disengagement of the latch from the pin.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,729,085 9/1929 Pofeldt 220-89 2,224,675 12/1940 Graham 292-48 2,724,378 11/1955 Wellman 220 s9 RAPHAEL H. SCHWARTZ, Primary Examiner.

THERON E. CONDON, Examiner. 

1. IN AN EXPLOSION VENTING ENCLOSURE, THE COMBINATION OF A SUPPORTING FRAME INCLUDING VERTICAL SUPPORT MEMBERS, A DOOR MOVABLE FROM AN OPEN POSITION TO A CLOSED POSITION AND SAID DOOR BEING HINGEDLY CONNECTED AT ONE VERTICAL EDGE THEREOF TO ONE OF THE SAID MEMBERS, THE UNHINGED EDGE OF SAID DOOR TERMINATING IN A VERTICAL FLANGE, A FIRST VERTICAL U-SHAPED CHANNEL SECTION SECURED TO THE SAID FRAME, THE FLANGES OF SAID CHANNEL SECTION FACING OUTWARDLY, AND ONE OF SAID FLANGES RECEIVING THE SAID DOOR FLANGE, A VERTICAL PANEL SECTION SECURED TO THE SAID FRAME, SAID PANEL TERMINATING OUTWARDLY IN A VERTICAL FLANGE, SAID PANEL FLANGE BEING RECEIVED BY THE SECOND OF SAID CHANNEL FLANGES, A SECOND U-SHAPED CHANNEL SECTION HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID DOOR AT THE FLANGE EDGE THEREOF, SAID SECOND CHANNEL BEING VERTICALLY DISPOSED WITH FLANGES FACING INWARDLY, SAID FLANGES BEING IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FLANGES OF THE FIRST CHANNEL MEMBER; AND LOCKING MEANS PULLING THE SAID CHANNEL SECTIONS TOGETHER WHEREBY THE RESPECTIVE OPPOSED FLANGES SQUEEZE THE FLANGES OF THE DOOR AND PANEL THEREBETWEEN TO COMPLETE THE SAND ENCLOSURE. 